The moment Athena stepped through the Gate, the wind stopped.
The howls ceased.
The air stilled like a held breath.
And then the world bent around her.
It began at the edge of the trees—wolves falling to their bellies. Shifting not into humans, but into their most primal forms, heads bowed, tails low, ears flat. The forest itself seemed to tremble as a low, guttural hum passed through the soil. Not a threat.
A reverence.
Lucas smiled beside her. "What the hell is happening?"
But Athena already knew.
She felt it.
The magic here didn't resist her. It recognized her. Welcomed her like blood returned to bone.
From the thick pine beyond the clearing, a tall woman stepped forward—cloaked in pelts, her hair woven with bone charms, eyes silver as the moon. She fell to her knees.
"Goddess," the woman whispered. "We have waited."
Behind her, the wolves echoed in unison.
"Moonborn. Light-Walker. She-Who-Returns."
Athena stood still, chest tight.
